Wheeler High School is one of only 13 Georgia public schools to recently earn the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A (CSA) and/or AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access to AP computer science courses. 

Out of 20,000 institutions that offer AP courses, Wheeler is among 1,119 to achieve either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2019-2020 school year. Wheeler earned the award for AP Computer Science Principles.

“Over the past few years, our Computer Science teachers have worked hard to increase the accessibility of our computer courses to our female students,” said Wheeler Principal Paul Gillihan. “This award is a testament to their work and the work on creating an inclusive environment that engages all students in AP Computer Science. We continue to look for ways to meet the needs of ALL of our students.”

The first year of AP Computer Science Principles in 2016-17 attracted more students than any other AP course debut, and participation is on the rise. In 2020, more than 116,000 students took the AP CSP Exam—more than double the number of exam takers in the course’s first year and a 21% increase over the previous year. In 2020, 39,570 women took the AP CSP exam, nearly three times the number tested in 2017.

“Today’s students need the power to shape technology, not just cope with it,” says Stefanie Sanford, College Board chief of global policy and external relations. “Young women deserve an equal opportunity to become the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers, and tech leaders. Closing the gap in computer science education empowers young women to build the future they want.”

Providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to drive innovation, creativity, and representation. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $88,240 in May 2019. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds women represent just 24% of the 5 million people in computing occupations. 

That’s why new College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than 5 times as likely to major in computer science in college than similar female students who did not take CSP. The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping-stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.

These findings make it all the more imperative that schools nationwide achieve gender parity in AP Computer Science classrooms. 

According to the College Board, schools, like Wheeler High School, should serve as inspirations and models for all American high schools. Overall, female students remain underrepresented in computer science classes, comprising just 34% of AP Computer Science Principles participants. 

As further evidence of Wheeler’s success at building diversity in the STEM fields, Wheeler junior Samyukta Iyer recently earned a 2021 National Honorable Mention in the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing.